Wikipedia

1994–95 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1994–95 season was Port Vale's 83rd season of football in the English Football League, and first ever season in the First Division following their promotion from the Second Division. John Rudge led his team to safety in the league, whilst reaching the Second Round of the FA Cup and League Cup. In the FA Cup they recorded a 6–0 victory over Hartlepool United, before suffering a shock defeat at Scarborough. Back in the same league as rivals Stoke City, they earned the season's bragging rights with a 1–1 draw at Vale Park and a 1–0 win at the Victoria Ground. Martin Foyle was the Player of the Year, having bagged twenty goals in all competitions. Club legend Ian Taylor had been sold before a ball was kicked, but new legends were born with the signatures of Tony Naylor, Steve Guppy, and Ian Bogie.

Port Vale
1994–95 season
ChairmanBill Bell
ManagerJohn Rudge
StadiumVale Park
Football League First Division17th (58 Points)
FA CupSecond Round
(knocked out by Scarborough)
League CupSecond Round
(knocked out by Manchester United)
Player of the YearMartin Foyle
Top goalscorerLeague: Martin Foyle (16)
All: Martin Foyle (20)
Highest home attendance19,510 vs. Stoke City, 14 March 1995
Lowest home attendance4,728 vs. Bristol Rovers, 23 August 1994
Average home league attendance9,218
Biggest win6–0 vs. Hartlepool United, 12 November 1994
Biggest defeat0–3 and 1–4

Overview edit

First Division edit

The pre-season saw John Rudge spend a small amount of the money received on the sales of Ian Taylor and Peter Swan to bring Tony Naylor to the club from Crewe Alexandra for a £150,000 fee. A further £200,000 was splashed out on Nottingham Forest forward Lee Glover. Another £4,500 was spent on Dutch goalkeeper Arjan van Heusden from VV Noordwijk. Arriving on free transfers were Craig Lawton (Manchester United) and Stewart Talbot (Moor Green).

The season started modestly, with two wins in the four August games. In September only Lee Glover, Tony Naylor and Martin Foyle could find the net, but the Vale won six points from their five games. To help with his recovery from a serious injury, Ray Walker spent some time on loan at Cambridge United, and won back his first-team place in the Vale starting eleven upon his return. Meanwhile, Tony Kelly arrived at the club from Bolton Wanderers, but after a brief spell moved on to Millwall. On 17 September, Vale inflicted a 2–1 defeat onto league leaders Middlesbrough player-manager Bryan Robson – his first loss in management.[1] Vale's attack was highlighted in October, though the defence ensured three draws from five games. In November, Darren Hughes was allowed to leave the club for Northampton Town. Rudge decided to make another big signing, and bought winger Steve Guppy from Newcastle United for £225,000. On 5 November, Vale lost all their inhibitions in front of goal, beating Southend United 5–0 with five different scorers. However, their draw with Swindon Town would prove to be the only point gained in December, as Vale were stuck in a relegation dogfight. John Jeffers spent January on loan at Shrewsbury Town. During this spell defender Kevin Scott arrived on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. The team gelled, forming a five-game unbeaten run based on just two goals conceded to shoot up the table. In March, midfielder Ian Bogie was signed from Leyton Orient for a £50,000 fee. Potteries derby day finally came on 14 March, and 19,510 turned up at Vale Park to witness a 1–1 draw with Stoke City, Naylor scoring Vale's goal.[2] Five defeats in seven games followed, raising concerns of the drop. However, the Vale were unbeaten in their final five games to ensure safety. This included a 3–3 draw at Elm Park that saw the "Valiants" come from three goals down to claim a point.[3] It also included a 1–0 win over Stoke at the Victoria Ground on 22 April, Foyle scoring the goal in what was Vale's first away win over Stoke in a league fixture since 1927.[2]

They finished in seventeenth place with 58 points, leaving them ten points clear of relegated Swindon Town. They were five points short of Stoke, who finished six places above the Vale. Player of the Year Martin Foyle bagged twenty goals, double that of his nearest rival Tony Naylor.

At the end of the season Ollie Heald, Peter Billing, Mark Burke and John Burndred were released, who signed with Scarborough, Hartlepool United, Fortuna Sittard and Stafford Rangers respectively. Joe Allon was also sold to Brentford for £42,500.

Finances edit

The club's shirt sponsors were Tunstall Assurance.

Cup competitions edit

As members of the second tier, Vale should have qualified for the Third Round of the FA Cup, but were forced to take part in the First Round to make up the numbers after Aldershot went bust and Maidstone United resigned from the league.[4] Vale went on to easily beat Third Division side Hartlepool United 6–0 in Burslem, with Martin Foyle bagging a hat-trick.[4] Remarkably, this would be the last hat-trick scored by a Vale player at Vale Park until April 2011.[5] However, a shock awaited in the Second Round, where Scarborough, also of the fourth tier, beat the Vale 1–0 at the McCain Stadium.

In the League Cup, Vale advanced past Second Division Bristol Rovers 4–2 on aggregate, having won 3–1 at the Memorial Stadium. In the Second Round they faced Premier League Manchester United. Alex Ferguson's "Red Devils" beat John Rudge's "Valiants" 2–1 at Vale Park in front of 18,605 supporters; Lee Glover scoring for Vale and Paul Scholes scoring a brace on his United debut. At the time Vale fans were disappointed to witness the then-unknown United reserves, though Scholes would go on to become a household name, as would teenage teammates Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, and David Beckham; the United first XI would go on to win a combined total of more than 500 international caps over the course of their careers.[6] For the second leg there were 31,615 fans at Old Trafford to witness a 2–0 United victory, David May and Brian McClair getting the goals.

League table edit

Main article: 1994–95 Football League

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Middlesbrough (C, P) 46 23 13 10 67 40 +27 82 Promotion to the Premier League
2 Reading 46 23 10 13 58 44 +14 79 Qualification for the First Division play-offs
3 Bolton Wanderers (O, P) 46 21 14 11 67 45 +22 77
4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 21 13 12 77 61 +16 76
5 Tranmere Rovers 46 22 10 14 67 58 +9 76
6 Barnsley 46 20 12 14 63 52 +11 72
7 Watford 46 19 13 14 52 46 +6 70
8 Sheffield United 46 17 17 12 74 55 +19 68
9 Derby County 46 18 12 16 66 51 +15 66
10 Grimsby Town 46 17 14 15 62 56 +6 65
11 Stoke City 46 16 15 15 50 53 −3 63
12 Millwall 46 16 14 16 60 60 0 62
13 Southend United 46 18 8 20 54 73 −19 62
14 Oldham Athletic 46 16 13 17 60 60 0 61
15 Charlton Athletic 46 16 11 19 58 66 −8 59
16 Luton Town 46 15 13 18 61 64 −3 58
17 Port Vale 46 15 13 18 58 64 −6 58
18 Portsmouth 46 15 13 18 53 63 −10 58
19 West Bromwich Albion 46 16 10 20 51 57 −6 58
20 Sunderland 46 12 18 16 41 45 −4 54
21 Swindon Town (R) 46 12 12 22 54 73 −19 48 Relegation to the Second Division
22 Burnley (R) 46 11 13 22 49 74 −25 46
23 Bristol City (R) 46 11 12 23 42 63 −21 45
24 Notts County (R) 46 9 13 24 45 66 −21 40
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Results edit

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League First Division edit

Results by matchday edit

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundAHAHHAAHHAAHHAAHAHHAAHHAHAAHHHAAHHAHAAHAHAHAAH
ResultLWDWLWLWLLDLDDDWLWDLLDLLWWDWWLDLWDLWLLLWLDWWDD
Position221110712467811151818202014181714161718212221182017151817171515171417171716171716141717
Source: Statto[7]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches edit

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
14 August 1994 Swindon Town A 0–2 10,431
20 August 1994 Oldham Athletic H 3–1 10,051 Foyle, Kenny (og), Naylor
27 August 1994 Bristol City A 0–0 8,588
30 August 1994 Barnsley H 2–1 7,228 Burke, L.Glover
3 September 1994 Luton Town H 0–1 8,541
10 September 1994 Portsmouth A 2–0 8,989 L.Glover, Naylor
13 September 1994 Grimsby Town A 1–4 3,216 Foyle
17 September 1994 Middlesbrough H 2–1 10,313 L.Glover, Naylor
24 September 1994 Sheffield United H 0–2 9,324
1 October 1994 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 1–2 27,649 Allon
8 October 1994 Notts County A 2–2 6,903 Foyle, Kelly
15 October 1994 Charlton Athletic H 0–2 7,707
22 October 1994 Bolton Wanderers H 1–1 10,003 Allon
29 October 1994 Tranmere Rovers A 1–1 6,972 Jeffers
2 November 1994 West Bromwich Albion A 0–0 14,513
5 November 1994 Southend United H 5–0 7,141 Allon, Foyle, Porter, Walker, van der Laan
19 November 1994 Derby County A 0–2 13,357
26 November 1994 Millwall H 2–1 8,016 Allon, Burke
29 November 1994 Sunderland H 0–0 8,121
6 December 1994 Bolton Wanderers A 0–1 10,324
10 December 1994 Oldham Athletic A 2–3 7,712 Guppy, van der Laan
17 December 1994 Swindon Town H 2–2 7,747 Foyle (2)
28 December 1994 Reading H 0–2 7,891
31 December 1994 Watford A 2–3 7,794 Foyle (2)
15 January 1995 Tranmere Rovers H 2–0 7,944 Foyle, Tankard
28 January 1995 Southend United A 2–1 3,619 Foyle, van der Laan
4 February 1995 Sunderland A 1–1 13,377 Naylor
11 February 1995 West Bromwich Albion H 1–0 10,751 Guppy
21 February 1995 Derby County H 1–0 9,387 Kent
25 February 1995 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 2–4 13,676 Kent, Naylor
4 March 1995 Sheffield United A 1–1 13,647 L.Glover
7 March 1995 Luton Town A 1–2 5,947 Porter
11 March 1995 Bristol City H 2–1 7,646 Naylor, Scott
14 March 1995 Stoke City H 1–1 19,510 Naylor
18 March 1995 Barnsley A 1–3 6,878 Allon
21 March 1995 Portsmouth H 1–0 7,388 Allon
26 March 1995 Middlesbrough A 0–3 17,401
28 March 1995 Burnley A 3–4 10,058 Foyle (2), Allon
1 April 1995 Grimsby Town H 1–2 7,150 Naylor
5 April 1995 Millwall A 3–1 5,260 Bogie, Foyle, van der Laan
8 April 1995 Watford H 0–1 7,276
15 April 1995 Reading A 3–3 8,635 Bogie, Naylor, Porter
17 April 1995 Burnley H 1–0 9,663 van der Laan
22 April 1995 Stoke City A 1–0 20,429 Foyle
29 April 1995 Charlton Athletic A 1–1 12,596 Foyle
7 May 1995 Notts County H 1–1 9,542 Foyle

FA Cup edit

Main article: 1994–95 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 12 November 1994 Hartlepool United H 6–0 6,199 Foyle (3), Allon, D.Glover, Griffiths
R2 3 December 1994 Scarborough A 0–1 2,382

League Cup edit

Main article: 1994–95 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 1st Leg 17 August 1994 Bristol Rovers A 3–1 3,307 Foyle, L.Glover, Naylor
R1 2nd Leg 23 August 1994 Bristol Rovers H 1–1 4,728 L.Glover
R2 1st Leg 21 September 1994 Manchester United H 1–2 18,605 L.Glover
R2 2nd Leg 5 October 1994 Manchester United A 0–2 31,615

Player statistics edit

Appearances edit

Pos. Name Football League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK   Paul Musselwhite 44 0 2 0 4 0 50 0
GK   Arjan van Heusden 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
DF   Dean Glover 29 0 2 1 4 0 35 1
DF   Neil Aspin 37 0 2 0 1 0 40 0
DF   Bradley Sandeman 37 0 0 0 4 0 41 0
DF   Peter Billing 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
DF   Gareth Griffiths 20 0 2 1 3 0 25 1
DF   Dean Stokes 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
DF   Allen Tankard 39 1 2 0 4 0 45 1
DF   Kevin Scott 17 1 0 0 0 0 17 1
DF   John Morris 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MF   Andy Porter 44 3 2 0 4 0 50 3
MF   Ray Walker 23 1 2 0 1 0 26 1
MF   John Jeffers 10 1 1 0 0 0 11 1
MF   Robin van der Laan 44 5 2 0 4 0 50 5
MF   Kevin Kent 23 2 0 0 4 0 27 2
MF   Ian Bogie 9 2 1 0 0 0 10 2
MF   Mark Burke 15 2 2 0 3 0 20 2
MF   Wayne Corden 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
MF   Steve Guppy 27 2 1 0 0 0 29 2
MF   Tony Kelly 4 1 0 0 1 0 5 1
MF   Craig Lawton 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
MF   Stewart Talbot 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
MF   Ollie Heald 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FW   Martin Foyle 42 16 2 3 4 1 48 20
FW   Joe Allon 19 7 2 1 1 0 22 8
FW   John Burndred 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
FW   Lee Glover 28 4 2 0 4 3 34 7
FW   Tony Naylor 33 9 0 0 3 1 36 10

Top scorers edit

Place Position Nation Name First Division FA Cup League Cup Total
1 FW   England Martin Foyle 16 3 1 20
2 FW   England Tony Naylor 9 0 1 10
3 FW   England Joe Allon 7 1 0 8
4 FW   Scotland Lee Glover 4 0 3 7
5 MF   Netherlands Robin van der Laan 5 0 0 5
6 MF   England Andy Porter 3 0 0 3
7 FW   England Mark Burke 2 0 0 2
– MF   England Ian Bogie 2 0 0 2
– MF   England Kevin Kent 2 0 0 2
– MF   England Steve Guppy 2 0 0 2
11 MF   England Tony Kelly 1 0 0 1
– MF   England John Jeffers 1 0 0 1
– DF   England Allen Tankard 1 0 0 1
– MF   England Ray Walker 1 0 0 1
– DF   England Kevin Scott 1 0 0 1
– DF   England Gareth Griffiths 0 1 0 1
– DF   England Dean Glover 0 1 0 1
– – Own goals 1 0 0 1
TOTALS 58 6 5 69

Transfers edit

Transfers in edit

Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
May 1994 GK   Arjan van Heusden   VV Noordwijk £4,500 [8]
July 1994 MF   Craig Lawton Manchester United Free transfer [8]
18 July 1994 FW   Tony Naylor Crewe Alexandra £150,000 [8]
August 1994 MF   Mark Burke Wolverhampton Wanderers Free transfer [8]
August 1994 MF   Stewart Talbot Moor Green Free transfer [8]
2 August 1994 FW   Lee Glover Nottingham Forest £200,000 [8]
September 1994 MF   Tony Kelly Bolton Wanderers Free transfer [8]
25 November 1994 MF   Steve Guppy Newcastle United £225,000 [8]
February 1995 MF   John Burndred Knypersley Victoria Free transfer [8]
23 March 1995 MF   Ian Bogie Leyton Orient £50,000 [8]

Transfers out edit

Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
1994 MF   Tony Kelly Millwall Free transfer [8]
November 1994 DF   Darren Hughes Northampton Town Quit [8]
May 1995 DF   Peter Billing Hartlepool United Free transfer [8]
May 1995 MF   John Burndred Stafford Rangers Free transfer [8]
May 1995 MF   Ollie Heald Scarborough Free transfer [8]
July 1995 FW   Joe Allon Lincoln City £42,500 [8]
Summer 1995 MF   Mark Burke   Fortuna Sittard Free transfer [8]
Summer 1995 MF   Robin van der Laan Derby County £475,000 [8]

Loans in edit

Date from Position Nationality Name From Date to Ref.
13 January 1995 DF   Kevin Scott Tottenham Hotspur End of season [8]

Loans out edit

Date from Position Nationality Name To Date to Ref.
6 January 1995 MF   John Jeffers Shrewsbury Town January 1995 [8]

References edit

Specific
  1. ^ Baggaley, Mike (18 December 2023). "Port Vale ticket and injury update ahead of historic Middlesbrough game". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b Bullock, Liam (2023). El Ceramico: The Story of the Potteries Derby. Pitch. ISBN 978-1-80150-393-8.
  3. ^ Baggaley, Mike (15 April 2017). "Port Vale archives: Never write off Rudgie's Vale". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  4. ^ a b Baggaley, Mike (12 November 2016). "Port Vale archives: Martin Foyle crushes Hartlepool in FA Cup". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  5. ^ Phil Sherwin. "Phil Sherwin: Bizarre victory a fitting Vale Park finale for a bizarre season". The Sentinel. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  6. ^ Sherwin, Phil (11 February 2012). "Beckham fails to win over fans at Vale Park". The Sentinel.
  7. ^ Port Vale 1994–1995 : Results & Fixtures Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Port Vale FC Club Details | Transfers | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
General
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